Life — April 26, 1917 — page 46: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a World War I recruitment appeal disguised as subscription advertising. The illustration depicts a young soldier in military uniform standing at attention, asking "Will I come across? Well, rather!"—military slang expressing determination to fight overseas. The text explicitly urges readers to "Enlist" and help "Uncle Sam" send American soldiers abroad, not merely supplies. The magazine unusually foregoes its typical commercial pitch for subscriptions, instead using this page as a patriotic appeal during America's involvement in WWI. The soldier figure represents the idealized American serviceman, while the phrase "come across" references American troops being transported across the Atlantic to European battlefields. This represents wartime propaganda emphasizing duty and sacrifice rather than satire—Life magazine temporarily suspending its satirical function to serve the national war effort.